Lime

Quinoa is a fast-cooking, protein-packed whole grain. Steamed, it makes a perfect partner for lime-spiked black beans and fresh tomato.

Pouring a citrusy vinaigrette over hot grilled pork chops enhances their flavor and balances their richness. The chops go extremely well with the black-bean and tomato quinoa

Be sure to start this recipe at least 1 1/2 hours ahead so the components have time to cool. Mix up the syrup and chill it until it's cold. Cut the melons into wedges and refrigerate them in plastic containers. Then, just before you leave, chop the mint and stir it into the syrup, then drizzle the syrup over the fruit.

Across Southeast Asia, roadside vendors with small hibachis grill up delicious skewers and other street snacks. Inspired those fresh, tasty treats, this appetizer features grilled shrimp served with two simple yet boldly flavored dipping sauces.

This Latin-inspired combination of flavors works well with smoky grilled pork, and the crispy cumin crust is complemented by both the heat and sweetness in the salsa. These thick-cut chops taste just as good cold — if there are any left.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month. Click here to learn more about the Margarita and for another great recipe. This recipe comes from Tres Agaves, a San Francisco Mexican restaurant with an exceptional selection of tequilas. Because limes vary widely in acidity, tequila fanatic Eric Rubin, the restaurant's managing partner, recommends tasting the drink (use a bar straw if you're making it for a friend) before you strain it, so you're sure you have achieved the proper balance between sweet and sour. Adjust the amounts of lime juice and agave nectar syrup as necessary, but be careful not to obscure the flavor of the tequila.

Enlivened with crisp water chestnuts and fresh cilantro, these delicate Asian-inspired veal and pork meatballs are a world away from their Italian counterpart — but they're just as moist and irresistible.

These tasty little tea cakes are a perfect match for the Lime and Lemon Posset.

"Posset" refers to an old English drink made in a way that's similar to this simple pudding. This dessert delivers great results with little effort.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. . This traditional wine punch presents the opportunity to turn robust jug wine and fresh seasonal fruits into a festive party drink. The recipe includes a mix of firm fruits (such as seedless grapes, apple slices, pear slices) and soft fruits (like strawberries, peaches, and kiwi). The soft fruits are added to the glasses at serving time.

Ensalada de jícama con melón Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. For more on Cinco de Mayo, click here. Chef Miguel Ravago also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. Although many fresh condiments in Mexican cuisine are called pico de gallo ("rooster's beak"), this refreshing salad from the Mexican state of Jalisco is known as Pico de Gallo. Depending on the seasonal availability of fresh fruit, Miguel has found that the salad is equally good made with Rio Star grapefruit, pineapple, blood oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew melon. The contrast of sweet fruit, crunchy jícama, tangy lime juice, and a little dash of chili powder makes for a delightful palate cleanser.

The perfect ending to a springtime brunch. Use the best strawberries you can find for that "real berry" flavor.

Bagged salad mix gets dressed up with a tangy lime dressing, spicy serrano chile, and crunchy pepitas.

Wasabi peas are dried green peas that are covered in a spicy coating made from wasabi powder. They can be found at some supermarkets and natural foods stores, and at Asian markets. Serve this dish with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice.

Ginger beer is a staple in Jamaica, and the best is homemade (it's easy to do, as you'll see in this recipe). Resist the temptation to use commercial ginger beer for this drink — it's too sweet.

This is the easy way to make ginger beer, where the ginger is simply soaked — just slightly fermented — for 24 hours (another method requires up to a five-day fermentation). Ginger beer is one of Jamaica's most popular soft drinks and is sold practically everywhere, from the supermarket to roadside stands. This drink is wonderfully refreshing. If the ginger heat is too much, tame it with more crushed ice and some club soda.

A Caribbean spin on the 150-year-old classic, this version infuses pineapple into Pisco (a South American brandy) and uses fresh grapefruit and lime peels for added brightness.

"Shark and bake," a popular Trinidadian pocket sandwich, is found at beach shacks and street stalls throughout the island. Part of its appeal is the variety of go-withs, from mango chutney to sliced cucumbers. "Bake" is a catchall term for several types of bread, grilled or fried. Since blacktip shark — the traditional choice — is not readily available, catfish or tilapia fillets are substituted here. Pita pockets are a stand-in for the flatbread that's typically used to make the sandwich.